Eurydice
Eurydice was the last of the original line of Aspis, wife to Horace Virilo, and mother to Gaius Virilo Olivius. She was critical during the Magdamolia as an instigator for the Castigation of Espios, an important political player in the ensuing civil war, and a key governor in Lenorum until her assassination in CE 159. Not only was Eurydice a devout member of an orgiastic snake-worshiping cult of Ba'al, she slept with venomous snakes in her bed. She claims descent from both Tomyra the Great and the Aspis Patriarch Danaq. Origin Eurydice was the daughter and only child of Neom I, the Patriarch of the House of the Asp. Apparently, she was originally named Polyxena, and changed her name to Muria prior to her marriage to Horace Virilo as part of her initiation into the Cult of Ba'al, after the death of her father. She was the most sought woman for marriage in Espios, her political power being unparalleled, however she remained single into her late teens. At this time, she curried favor to the point where she was able to furrow taxes into her personal treasury and enriched her House, which at this time only had her as a member. The name Eurydice was the third of four names by which she was known. She probably took it as a recognition of Horace Virilo's victory in Cisteria, the news of which coincided with a personal letter of his proposal. She accepted it as a portent and agreed to the marriage in 9 NCE. After Espios Eurydice had a pregnancy that was allegedly one of the most stressful and diseased ever recorded. Her midwife and ''au pair ''reported that Eurydice "suffered blisters and facial pox since the onset of the pregnancy; her eyes were bloodshot red even weeks into her pregnancy, and her agony was like that of a woman being tortured. The glow of a mother was not present in her skin and flesh; instead, she was bedridden with jaundice and fatigue, and if she was not asleep she was screaming." Eurydice had a dream when she consummated her marriage to Horace Virilo that her womb had been struck by a thunderbolt, and when she awoke her stomach bore a discoloration in the shape of a lion. Many took this as a sign that their child would be a great leader. Horace Virilo, had been stabbed to death in the Senate while Eurydice was still pregnant with Gaius Virilo. Horace Virilo's friend and long-time rival Visello helped Eurydice escape Lenorum at the outset of the Thirty-Year Siege, also escorted by Virilo's personal legion, the 13th Twin Legion. Her son was born in Maplapel, a city about one hundred miles from Lenorum, ten days after the Castigation of Espios and four days after his father's murder. Intrigue in Lenorum Eurydice, with her experience in Espios as a subversive political element, systematically assassinated or otherwise allied with players inside and outside of Lenorum, even throughout the Thirty Years' Siege. Though she could not prevent Visello from being executed, and was unable to secure Cas the Spider alive, she did maintain the safety of her and her son until he was in his late teens.Category:Characters Category:Niocletians